Monday, 27 October 2014

No shirking responsibility, schools warned

No shirking responsibility, schools warned

TNN | Oct 25, 2014, 04.00 AM IST

BANGALORE : The education department on Friday warned schools against adopting a lackadaisical approach to children's safety. Mohammad Mohsin, commissioner of the public instruction department, said if there is any untoward incident involving children during school hours, cases will be booked against the school managements. They are responsible for safety till the children are dropped home in school buses.

Some schools procure signatures from parents that the authorities are not responsible for safety. KV Dhananjay, legal adviser to the Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements' Association, said this is legally invalid. As per rules, if any such incident occurs during school hours, the school authorities are responsible. Nagasimha G Rao, convener of the RTE Task Force, pointed that though the education and police departments have issued guidelines to schools to ensure safety, many managements have failed to implement them. Everyone, including the police, schools, public and parents are responsible for the children's safety, he said. "We are launching a campaign in November to create awareness about children's safety," he added.

Princess Franklyn, principal of Bishop Cotton Girls' High School, says schools should give importance to safety measures, because it is the responsibility of the management. A principal of a renowned school said, "When school managements charge such huge sums as fees, they must provide safety for children. Schools should not be run only with the intention of making money."